Leif Ove Andsnes, the celebrated Norwegian pianist, returns to the United States this week to complete his seven-event “Perspectives” series at New York’s Carnegie Hall. Andsnes will perform a duo recital with Christian Tetzlaff in Carnegie’s main hall (May 4) followed by a series of chamber music concerts at Zankel Hall (May 6, 9 and 13). Following the Carnegie performances, Andsnes will join the Cleveland Orchestra and its music director Franz Welser-Möst for four performances of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 1 (May 19-22 in Cleveland).

Andsnes and Tetzlaff are frequent recital partners and recently performed the program they are bringing to Carnegie at London’s Wigmore Hall. A critic for The Independent reported afterwards: “one left the hall wondering whether there was any more versatile, searching and sheerly musical violin-and-piano partnership before the public today.”

As for the chamber programs, Andsnes explains:

“The three Zankel programs are wild: full of big contrasts but also juxtaposing music that works very well together – everything from Bach to Kurtág. I’ve tried to capture the mood and spirit of the programming we do at the Risřr Festival in Norway. All of the composers we will perform are very narrative in orientation – they are all great story-tellers: Kurtág, Ronnefeld, Schumann, Janácek. We’ll be doing chamber concerts, varying from duos to a big piece like Kurtág’s Quasi una Fantasia, which has spatial elements that will take advantage of the flexibility of Zankel Hall.”

Andsnes has had an extraordinarily ambitious schedule here in North America this season – 26 concerts in twelve cities including the performances this month in New Yorkand Cleveland. The seven “Perspectives” concerts at Carnegie held a special distinction in his “Big American Season” as he is the youngest artist yet to have been granted this prestigious series.

Andsnes returns to Europe after his concerts in the US. Among the highlights of his coming months there will be recording sessions with the Berlin Philharmonic under the direction of Antonio Pappano – Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 for EMI Classics, his exclusive label, for release in autumn 2005 – and a week-long residency at the Risřr Festival in Norway. Andsnes is the co-director of the festival, which takes place in a small and idyllic town on Norway’s southeastern coast.

One of Norway’s most central conductors, Christian Eggen, will lead the chamber orchestra for the Perspectives #5 and #6 concerts.